Comlex Level 1: Bad COMSAE score...need help/advice

[MM1888]

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So I took COMSAE C and scored 380 :'( Very confused as to what to do next or what went wrong but heres the breakdown of all the material i went through

September: Started UWORLD questions

January: Goljan audio (w/ FA)

March: Pathoma (very thoroughly)

May: Schools board study program (basically went through FA)

I finished UWORLD by the end of may (did not go back, felt like UWORLD wasnt as relevant to comlex as it is to USMLE)

Beginning of June:
-took comsae A (340-wanted a baseline)
-DIT ( did it in 15days and spent 6 days reviewing after)
-Also stated COMQUEST level I ( felt it was harder then combank...but they're new so that was a bit of a risk...did min of 50-100qs/day)

End of june:
-Took DIT predictive test scored 62% (~201 for usmle)
-took COMSAE C (380)

In summary: Tried to get through FA 3x (def got through it once w/ DIT), did questions (uworld + comquest)

Anyone have any suggestions? Im really scared im not gonna pass comlex level 1...ive moved my COMLEX Level 1 to August so that gives me July.

Sorry wrote a book up there but wanted to be thorough. Thanks

 

[StressedMedStud]

So I took COMSAE C and scored 380 :'( Very confused as to what to do next or what went wrong but heres the breakdown of all the material i went through

September: Started UWORLD questions

January: Goljan audio (w/ FA)

March: Pathoma (very thoroughly)

May: Schools board study program (basically went through FA)

I finished UWORLD by the end of may (did not go back, felt like UWORLD wasnt as relevant to comlex as it is to USMLE)

Beginning of June:
-took comsae A (340-wanted a baseline)
-DIT ( did it in 15days and spent 6 days reviewing after)
-Also stated COMQUEST level I ( felt it was harder then combank...but they're new so that was a bit of a risk...did min of 50-100qs/day)

End of june:
-Took DIT predictive test scored 62% (~201 for usmle)
-took COMSAE C (380)

In summary: Tried to get through FA 3x (def got through it once w/ DIT), did questions (uworld + comquest)

Anyone have any suggestions? Im really scared im not gonna pass comlex level 1...ive moved my COMLEX Level 1 to August so that gives me July.

Sorry wrote a book up there but wanted to be thorough. Thanks

I definately think you should move it b/c 400 is passing and you dont want to take a chance and take the comlex and get below 400.

Also when do your rotations start? WIll you be able to handle rotations and studying for comlex?

 

[Dissected]

I am at a loss as to why you used so many resources and spent so much $$ on test prep..starting in september no less. I'm not going to sugar coat things..you just aren't retaining the material.

UWorld is very relevant to the material that will be represented on level 1. The question style is vastly different, but what set my prep apart was the knowledge I learned from UWorld last year. I can't speak to comquest for level 1, but combank is very indicative of the question style and has a lot of good information. I would think that comquest is similar.

Here is what you need to do for the next month:

1)Hunker down and do UWorld practice questions every day (50-100 at minimum)...if it took you from Sept. -- May that is WAY too long to get through the level 1 qbank. You will have forgotten almost all of the information by now. Reset it and start over. Get through all of it before the test.

2)Also do a comparable number of comlex qbank questions. Since you have spent so much money already, why not just get a combank subscription for 2 mo. I can tell you, it is a proven resource.

3)When a topic comes up on one of these qbanks that you are weak on or unfamiliar with, read the explanation and find the topic in first aid. Correlate what the two resources say and highlight in your FA what the important points for YOU are. Review often.

4)A week or two before the test get through the Savarese text and know the basic knowledge from every body system..and all the relevant viscerosomatic stuff, etc..

Stick to these 4 resources. You don't need to spread yourself out any more than that. That is certainly part of your problem, but there are other things going on as well.

There can be no BS in your schedule from now until the test date. Your friends will be done with their tests and doing whatever, but you need to dedicate time every single day to increasing your knowledge. Set aside some time to relax but your primary goal is to pass this test. Failing level 1 should not be an option for you. It is a major red flag for programs, will affect your rotations in the early part of the year, and if you don't have a knowledge base sufficient for level I, level II is going to be a royal pain in the arse.

Best of luck, work your tail off for the next month so you can pass. No excuses

Dissected

 

[The kitchen sink]

Not to scare you, just to warn. I took my COMLEX on the 22nd. It was harder than COMSAE C in my opinion. Therefore, as the above poster said CONSOLIDATE your resources. I would say finish COMQUEST's bank TWICE. I don't see the point of using UWORLD and COMBANK (I didn't like COMBANK at all). COMQUEST has sufficient explanations, and if you do it twice or at least do the your Incorrect questions.

My real test looked just like COMQUEST. Make sure timing isnt an issue. Dont underestimate anatomy on the COMLEX, there was A LOT on mine, a lot of lower extremity for me but its a toss up depending on your form. I would say learn OMM, Micro and Pharm, because besides that they can ask you anything... (and they will) and you will have just choose the best answer from the given info.

I haven't gotten my scores back, but I used FA, Saverese, did approx 1000 UWorld questions, did 900 COMQUEST and 400 COMBANK questions. If I knew about COMQUEST earlier, I would have finished COMQUEST 1.5x most likely and would not have even purchased COMBANK.

 

[WonderBoy]

Not to scare you, just to warn. I took my COMLEX on the 22nd. It was harder than COMSAE C in my opinion. Therefore, as the above poster said CONSOLIDATE your resources. I would say finish COMQUEST's bank TWICE. I don't see the point of using UWORLD and COMBANK (I didn't like COMBANK at all). COMQUEST has sufficient explanations, and if you do it twice or at least do the your Incorrect questions.

My real test looked just like COMQUEST. Make sure timing isnt an issue. Dont underestimate anatomy on the COMLEX, there was A LOT on mine, a lot of lower extremity for me but its a toss up depending on your form. I would say learn OMM, Micro and Pharm, because besides that they can ask you anything... (and they will) and you will have just choose the best answer from the given info.

I haven't gotten my scores back, but I used FA, Saverese, did approx 1000 UWorld questions, did 900 COMQUEST and 400 COMBANK questions. If I knew about COMQUEST earlier, I would have finished COMQUEST 1.5x most likely and would not have even purchased COMBANK.

Any idea how many questions in comquest? Can it be done in a wk?

 

[Irishfan]

Any idea how many questions in comquest? Can it be done in a wk?

Abt 1600 I think.